Dyed With Colors
by ChielRobhinne Bezarius
Summary: Setting things right after a horrible decision didn't turn out as easy as Shuzo had been expecting. Daiki and Satsuki were nice enough to tolerate him , but how much is he willing to sacrifice the happiness of others in order to fill the guilt and the empty hole in his heart?
1. Pink is the Color of Familial Love

**Disclaimer: **Aomomo is so real. Therefore, I can't possibly own Kuroko no Basket. I'm crying.

**Genre: **Family, Drama, Fluff, Friendship

**Rating: T **just in case of excessive use of bad words.

**WARNING MUST READ:** THIS IS A STRAIGHT PAIRING, you've been warned. Aside from Aomine and Momoi, I also paired Nijimura and Alex (I KNOW, I KNOW... Before you react, let me explain first). That pairing is very essential to the plot, so I'm sorry if you find it too nerve-cracking (it's literally a crack pairing. Come on, those two never met.) Anyway, please forgive me. I just had the urge to pair them. ALSO... I love kids, so don't be shocked if some of the characters are so young it's so out of the original. Don't hate the fic just because there's no yaoi pairing in here (well, it's up to you if you think of it as one; it's really fine, actually). I need more exposure of baby GoM members! BABY TETSUYA IS NOT ENOUGH!

If you see any mistakes please don't hesitate to point it out.

**Anyway, enjoy reading! I hope you like it. :)**

* * *

**Chapter 1: ****Pink**** is the Color of ****Familial Love**

"Do you think you can make it?" Satsuki's young, pretty face was painted with the traces of anxiety. Despite being 31, her complexion and over-all features state how beautiful she is; she looks 25 or less. Majority of the people around her always mistook her as young and unmarried.

"I'm not sure. But I promise I'll try to, Satsuki," Daiki hesitantly answered. His eyebrows twitched and the look in his eyes betrayed him instantly. Satsuki knew of the guilt swirling inside of Daiki's very being; _they were best friends even before Daiki grew to love basketball, before he confessed to her in the middle of nowhere, before she took all her courage to ask him to stay by his side for the rest of their lives_—she knew everything, every feelings and desires, all about Daiki that most people did not know of.

"It's not that I'm forcing you. I just think Sei-chan needs our presence. It's his first time performing in middle school."

_Good decisions always bring out the best outcome in every situations_, they said. It's true for some people. But for Satsuki's case, there are no such things as good or bad decision; every choice has its risks. It was not like she wanted to tolerate the negative feelings that bottled up inside of Daiki; she was just anxious of not giving their first-born enough support. The last thing she wanted was for her children to feel that they weren't loved. Seijuuro is almost thirteen now. It was twelve years ago when Satsuki and Daiki pledged their undying love in front of the altar. They were living a pretty, well-off life with their three bundles of joy—Seijuuro, Tetsuya, and Ryouta. Their genius first-born had just started his middle-school career, even just recently announcing that he was accepted in the first string in their basketball club—much to Daiki's proud outburst of, _"That's my son!"_ and the constant cheers of Satsuki and Tetsuya.

"I know. I know. It's just my job. We're working on a huge case. But you know how much I wanted to see him." There was a very disappointed sigh. _Ah, how troublesome._ _Who would have thought that being a Police officer, a husband, and a father would be very tough? How many times did he tell himself that his family was his first priority?_ Daiki was the first person who wanted to see Seijuuro demonstrate his gifted skill on the court. It would be the child's first time playing in a real game. He was a regular now and Daiki, as a father, wanted to document every little progress his son was making through each passing years. "I'll ask for an early break. Even if not for a day, hours will do."

"That's alright. I've postponed my entire schedule for today. I'll pick Ki-chan at the daycare and then head to get Tetsu-chan at school before we all proceed to watch Sei-chan."

"I'm sorry, Satsuki. I should have been the one doing all that."

"Oh, Dai-chan…" _Dai-chan_—that same old nickname; Satsuki still couldn't break away from her habit of calling him that. _Oh, well. Daiki liked it, anyway. _"It's alright. One of the daycare's volunteers called me a while ago. Ki-chan was crying and looking for me. Besides, Teiko is just a few blocks away from the establishment."

_Right. _Ryouta, their little angel who didn't inherit (any from) the colors of their hair and eyes because his was naturally blonde (a feature he acquired from his grandparents, perhaps), had grown up in the comforts of their home and with his parents who never failed to shower him with abundant material things and unparalleled love; just being away from either his mother or father sent him into the pit of endless cries and wails. Satsuki never complained—just like how Tetsuya patiently tried not to give his parents any problems. Their quiet little Tetsuya (now nine), whose hair color was a pale version of Daiki's, was currently a third grader at Teiko Elementary School. He was a simple boy with a simple dream of spending every hours of the day with his parents and brothers. Daiki, along with Seijuuro, had been constantly teaching the little boy every little trick on basketball even though the latter literally lacked skill on it aside from his gifted ability on passing. Nonetheless, Tetsuya appreciated the little gesture and effort. The exchange of words and actions through the game between father and son were one of the reasons for Tetsuya's pretty wide smile and unexpected constant chatters.

"I'm pretty sure Tetsu-chan is more excited than his brother."

"I am perfectly aware of that."

* * *

**Note:** I actually have no intention of posting this, but since Tetsuya's birthday is almost here and I'm planning on posting a one-shot fic for him, I ended up sharing the mother story (so the the ones who'll read the b-day gift can relate to the actual plot).

I really apologize.

I hope that won't be a hassle. :)


	2. Red is the Color of Passion and Strength

**Note: **I'm sorry for the age alterations and all that random relationships. I just want to release all these crazy ideas out of my head.

* * *

**Chapter 2: ****Red**** is the Color of ****Passion**** and ****Strength **

"Alright, team! Today is the big day! We're going in to that court and defeat every single one of them!" The cheering of the Teiko Basketball Team echoed in and out of the locker room as their coach woke up their hidden determination. As far as having great skills in basketball and coaching, Nijimura Shuzo could be counted as number one. His love for basketball had bear fruit of years and years of victories. During his early years, he would always claim the title of the _Most Valuable Player_, 'though it was taken from him during his last year in middle school when he met Aomine Daiki, a _kouhai_, whom he shared great friendship and rivalry with. The two of them had played one-on-one on several occasions. They were always on par with each other, although Shuzo knew that Daiki was far stronger than him; so when he learnt that Daiki would be quitting basketball after his two years vocational course at university, he decided to enter Teiko again to be the coach of the basketball team just to show his friend that College wasn't the end of it.

_"You could have been a professional, Daiki," _Shuzo once said to him. Daiki was a great loss to the basketball industry and everyone knew that; even Satsuki believed it was. But Shuzo could never blame him. After all, Daiki's love for Satsuki was more important than his basketball career. Even he knew exactly how it felt.

Shuzo had been Teiko's coach for almost twelve years now. He had met a lot of strong individuals and aspiring players, but it would be his first time handling such a person like Seijuuro. The boy was highly exceptional—_a genius, a one of a kind player. _Of course, he wasn't being bias just because Seijuuro was Daiki's son; the kid was just that amazing. His basketball was like Daiki's, but different at the same time. He has a mind of a great tactician, both a mastermind and a detective. He always thought things first and would deliver tricks that he could only do. He has both Daiki's skills and Satsuki's intelligence. With Shuzo's coaching, it was certain that he could lead the team to another series of victory. It was no wonder he was chosen as the team's captain despite being a first year.

"Seijuuro, I'm counting on you," Shuzo said, looking at the red-haired boy with eyes full of trust and certainty.

"Yes, coach. I'll do my best," the boy answered with the same conviction. "We will win for sure."

.

.

.

"Time out for Teiko!"

The five regulars looked at their coach with confusion and fear lingering in the corner of their brains. _Why did Coach Nijimura suddenly call for a time out in the middle of the second quarter?_ The coach only called for such when things weren't doing fine. They were doing well, _weren't they?_ After all, they had the captain, even Midorima and Murasakibara, with them. _What could possibly go wrong?_

"Coach, why so suddenly? It's not like we're losing," Midorima Shintaro, one of the regulars and Seijuuro's best friend, asked the frowning adult. "It's a ten-point difference."

"No, there's nothing wrong with the rest of you. But aren't I always telling you not to settle on differences alone? Do not underestimate your opponents. Miracles can always happen on the court."

"Was it just to scold us?" This time it was Murasakibara Atsushi, another of Seijuuro's best friend and Teiko's regular.

"No, I'm sorry."

"I was just asking, coach. No hard feelings."

All the other Teiko regulars looked at their coach with questions on hold. As of the moment, they couldn't fathom what was in his mind, until—

"Seijuuro," he called, doing a one-knee kneel in front of the red-haired boy. "What's wrong?" All turned to look at them. _Ah, so that was it. _They finally understood.

Meanwhile, Seijuuro only answered with a surprised and quiet, _"Hm?"_ He was looking straight ahead but Shuzo knew that his mind was preoccupied with something.

"Something's lacking in you." Then the question fully retrieved his attention.

"Huh? What do you mean, coach?"

"You deteriorated. You were doing fine a while ago. What's going on?"

"There's nothing… I'm doing fine." Seijuuro backed off a little. He hates interrogation the most; privacy wasn't in its vocabulary.

"You can't fool me, Aomine Seijuuro. I've known you since you were a toddler. If I say you're not fine, then you're not. What is it? Tell me."

"I know myself better than you, coach."

"Trust me, Sei. It doesn't work that way. People have blind spots that only others can see."

There followed a deadly silence, until Shuzo could no longer contain his irritation. "We don't have all day. Don't make me let you stay on the bench."

Seijuuro looked up at Shuzo with both irritation and fright. He knew there was something wrong. He could feel it. _But why couldn't he say it?_ He had tried. He was trying. On the other hand, Shuzo had a hunch. But he didn't want to jump to any conclusions so he had tried making Seijuuro speak. He knew the boy could be very fragile despite his cool and strong personality. After all, he was only a kid.

The whistle was blown, indicating that it was time to resume the match. Shuzo stared at his regulars as they went back to the court. All of them were doing fine; it was just that his captain had lesser passion than the rest.

"Seijuuro," he called in a low voice before Seijuuro could fully return. "I'll give you another chance. Prove to me that you're still the same Seijuuro as before. If not, I'm going to call for a substitution. Are we clear?"

"Yes, coach."

.

.

.

Teiko did fine until the third quarter. There was already a fifteen-point difference between them and their opponent. But as expected, the other team did a comeback, ending the third half of the game with only a seven-point difference.

"Teiko! Substitution! Number 4!"

Seijuuro pinned his gaze at his coach. He was both horrified and angry. _Why he? He's fine. He tried his best, didn't he? Was it not enough?_

"A substitution at the last quarter? It's almost ending." _That's right, why now?_

"Isn't he the captain?" _Yes, I am the captain. The team needs me._

"He's only a first year." _So what? _

"He's not perfect." _I never thought myself as one._

"Maybe their coach finally realized his mistake." _No! He trusts me!_

"Poor kid. His parents must have felt really disappointed." _Parents? I disappointed…_

"Maybe they didn't even come to watch." _No… No… Where are they? Mom? Dad? Did you come watch me? Did you see me? Am I a disappointment? Aren't I always making you proud? Dad… Answer me—_

"SEIJUURO!" _Dad?_

"Call the medic!" _No… Coach? _"Give him room! He's hyperventilating!"

"Sei, can you hear me?! What happened? Hang in there!" _Coach, I'm sorry._

"Seijuuro!" _Shintaro…_

"Aka-chin!" _Atsushi…_

"Sei-chan! Sei-chan!" _Mom?_

"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but you can't go in there!"

"Let me through! He's my son! He needs me!" _Mommy… Are you crying? _

"Let them through!"

"Sei-chan! My baby!"

"Nii-chan!"

"S-Seicchi? I-Is Seicchi dead?"

_Tetsuya… Ryouta… Silly, I'm not dead. Am I? The game is not over yet. _

"Shu, w-what happened?"

"I… It's my fault. I'm sorry, Satsuki. I shouldn't have call for that substitution." _It's not your fault._

"What are you talking about?"

"Where's Daiki?"

"Dai… He…" _Dad can't come, right?_

"Move! The medic's here!"

"Hurry! He's losing air!"

"It's okay, baby. I'm here. You're a strong child, right? So, please don't give up on mommy." _Mom, I'll be strong for you. Aren't I always saying that? Don't worry and stop crying. I'll be fine. You too, Tetsuya, Ryouta. I promised you both that we'll play once I get home, didn't I?_

"Give him oxygen!'

"Lift him up… carefully."

_Wait! No! I still want to play! It's not over yet!_ _I'll win the game and make my dad proud!_

_No!_

_No!_

_NO!_

* * *

_**SN: Were they so out of reality?** _

_Seijuuro: Why the hell did you make me so weak?!_

**_I'M SORRY, SEI-CHAN!_**


	3. Blue is the Color of Sadness

**Note:** About Sei-chan's breakdown... sorry about that. :P

**And, yes, sorry for altering the personalities of some of the characters and their aliases.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: ****Blue**** is the Color of ****Sadness**

95—87: Teiko's first game ended. They had won, but their victory did not give any consolation to what the team was feeling deep inside. They won not just because they were good compared to the other players; they did because they did not want him to feel any sadness or regret. _They did it for their captain. _

Seijuuro wasn't able to play until the end of the last quarter. He was immediately sent to the hospital, almost unconscious and having a cruel struggle against air and gravity. No one had expected for such a thing to happen. It was almost near from impossibility. Aomine Seijuuro was a strong kid; even the sicknesses itself made it to the point of doubting whether they would infect him or not. So, what had happened was fully beyond everyone's expectations.

"It's most probably due to psychological stress," was what the doctor said. Seijuuro was admitted in a private room. His relatives and his coach were inside, clearing things out about the sudden breakdown of the boy; outside, his teammates were patiently waiting for results.

The doctor had told them that everything would be fine, that the boy just needed some rest and a break from stressful things like basketball. Satsuki wasn't convinced, though. Well, yes, her son needs a rest; but she believes that asking him to take a break from the sport he loves the most is a very bad idea. It would only worsen the situation. Seijuuro's pride was beyond reachable. There would be no way he would back down. Besides, Satsuki and Shuzo both had a hunch why it had led to that ordeal.

Satsuki had been trying to contact Daiki for the past fifteen minutes after they had arrived at the hospital. Daiki didn't pick up any of the calls and when he did during Satsuki's last attempt, all the man could hear were just his wife's serious, angry, crying tone.

_"W-Wait, Satsuki. What is wrong with you? Did something happen?"_

_ "Daiki, you are an asshole! You are the worst living person on earth!"_

_ "I don't understand. What did I do this time? Just so you know I didn't cheat on you."_

_ "I don't care about what you do! Just don't you ever, EVER, dare hurt our son!"_

_ "Hurt? I didn't—" _and it had just sank in. If he could, Daiki would kill himself right now. _"Look… about that. I said I'll try, didn't I? I had tried, Satsuki. I just can't be there on time. I'm sorry."_

_ "I'm sorry? That's all? You're sorry? Go fucking say that to your son and see for yourself what reaction he'll make!"_

For a moment, Daiki could feel his hairs standing up on ends. For Satsuki to curse like that… it must have been very grave. He knew that side of Satsuki, but he didn't anticipate that it would be this worst.

_"What am I supposed to say, then? That I am not regretting anything? It's harder than you think, Satsuki."_

_ "Do you even have any idea what happened? Can't you at least say that you're feeling something that you can't explain? For goodness sake's, Daiki, have a hunch!"_

_ "W-What? Fuck, Satsuki, what happened?!"_

_ "It was nothing. Let's just say that your son was rushed to the hospital because he suddenly fell down during the middle of the game."_

_ "Oh, god!" _Daiki's world suddenly stopped spinning.

_"H-His heart had stopped for seconds. You don't know what I felt when I saw him. You don't know how much it hurt. I-I thought I was… I was going to lose him. You don't know anything because you're not there. You're not there when he needed you the most. D-Daiki, it hurts… but do you know what hurts the most? To see my son struggling like that because he wanted to play for his dad. To you, not to anyone else. Just seeing his pained, crying face breaks me down. I—"_

_ "Satsuki…" _His voice was comforting. Satsuki felt like being lulled to sleep by the way Daiki called for her name. She knew it was too much. It was too much for the three of them.

_"Just come here… Dai-chan, I need you. We need you."_

_ "I will, Satsuki. I will."_

.

.

.

"Satsuki, here." Shuzo offered his friend a bottle of water. The lady had lost so much water in her body from too much crying and Shuzo didn't want her to pass out from exhaustion, too. "Take some rest. I'll look after Sei."

Satsuki looked up at him with a weary smile. "Thank you, Shu… but it's fine. I'll wait for his father."

"Stop, I'll do it."

"No, it's oka—"

"Have you looked at the mirror? It's like I'm not looking at you anymore," Shuzo said, his eyebrows colliding. "Look, Seijuuro is alright. I'll go wait for Daiki. If you want I can even punch him for you."

Satsuki couldn't help but silently giggle. Shuzo was right. _She's too tired. _"Thank you, Shu… and I'm sorry. You even carried Ki-chan. Sorry, he's such a sleepy head. Here, I'll carry him."

"No, it's fine, Satsuki. It's Ryouta we're talking about here. Carrying and lulling him to sleep isn't even enough."

"Ah, yes. I'm sorry. Alright, Tetsu-chan and I will just take a quick nap." The two adults exchanged smiles. Satsuki asked Shuzo to sit down, while she stood up from her seat to call for her second son. "Tetsu-chan, are you sleepy?" There came no answer. She looked around and found him gone. "Tetsu? Baby? Tetsuya!" Panic began to rise into Satsuki's head once again. She was quite aware of her son's extraordinary talent of making people ignore his presence, but this was a different thing. It was very apparent that he was really not in the room. "Shu, did you notice him leaving?"

"Eh? No… Maybe he went to the bathroom?"

"That's impossible. Tetsu always asks for permission."

"Maybe you just didn't pay attention? Remember you were not your usual self a while ago."

"Oh, my god. I need to find him." Satsuki was about to run outside when she felt a strong hand gripping her wrist. She looked back and saw Shuzo looking at him with a gaze that says, _"Really, you're very troublesome."_

"Here, take him. I'll go look for Tetsuya."

"But, Shuzo…"

"Stop acting like Daiki. I told you to rest. Really, both husband and wife are very difficult to handle."

Satsuki didn't reply anymore and just took Ryouta from Shuzo. On the other hand, Shuzo Nijimura went out from the room to start his search.

.

.

.

_I need to find father. I need to find father. I need to find fa—_Tetsuya's panicked thoughts were cut off by the sudden touch he felt from his wrists. When he turned around, he saw green eyes and purple eyes staring back at him.

"Tetsuya? You're Tetsuya, right?" asked the one with the green eyes, who turned out to be Shintaro.

"_Aleh?_ What's Kuro-chin doing here all alone?" this time, it was Atsushi, the one with the purple eyes. He has this habit of cutting people's names shorter and adding _–chin _at the end, just like what he calls his best friends (_Aka-chin, _derived from the color of Seijuuro's hair—red, and_ Mido-chin, _from Midorima). As for Tetsuya, Atsushi claimed that the child was like a shadow; that was why his nickname ended up as _Kuro-chin_, meaning black (Kuro).

"Where are you going?" Shintaro asked once more.

"I need to find father," answered the boy.

"Find? Where?"

"I don't know. Anywhere."

Shintaro must admit that he is a little good in handling kids because of his little sister, but when it comes to Seijuuro's little brothers, especially Tetsuya, all of his good skills in handling children disappears into thin air. "Did you ask permission from your mom?"

Tetsuya just shook his head.

"Eh? That's not good, Kuro-chin. She must be looking for you right now," said Atsushi.

"But I need to find father." Tetsuya pulled his hands away from Shintaro's grip.

"Why do you want to find him?" Shintaro tried to reach for his hands again, but Tetsuya backed off, sending the older boy's efforts into the waste bin.

"Because Nii-chan needs him."

Shintaro paused and immediately stood up. _Damn kid! Why is he that adorable?_ His logic was a little off, but it doesn't matter. Shintaro might die from cuteness! "It can't be helped. We'll go with you and find your father. Is that alright?"

Tetsuya's face instantly beamed. The three of them were about to head out when someone who was in a total rush entered the hospital. When they turned to look and saw the man, Shintaro and Atsushi both heaved a deep sigh of relief.

"Miss, may I know the room Aomine Seijuuro is currently—"

"—Father!"

Daiki was halted for a moment when he heard the familiar call. When he looked down, Tetsuya was already clinging on him. "T-Tetsu, hey… w-what are you doing here?" He knelt down and looked at his son. "Hey… hey… why are you crying?"

"F-Father… Nii-chan… nii-chan is…"

"_Shh…_ It's alright. He's alright, Tetsu. Don't cry." He wiped the tears from the boy's cheeks and placed a kiss on his forehead. "Where's your mom?"

Tetsuya just pointed upstairs. Without further ado, Daiki lifted his son off the ground and jogged towards the room where the others were waiting.

"Ah, thank goodness~" Atsushi heaved. "I suddenly felt hungry."

"You're always hungry. I'll prepare a diet menu for you, Atsushi."

"Eeeh? No way~"

"Not now, I guess. I need to do something to brush this feeling aside."

"Then, why don't we eat first and then come back to see how's Aka-chin?"

"Yeah, that might work."

* * *

_Ah, it feels horrible._


	4. Yellow is the Color of Friendship

**Chapter 4: ****Yellow**** is the Color of ****Friendship**

Daiki's heart broke like glass when he saw his son on his hospital bed. Seijuuro was still fast asleep; he was fine now, but that didn't appease Daiki even the tiniest bit. Satsuki was right, _it was heartbreaking. _

Although hesitant to show himself to his wife and friend, Daiki walked with slow careful strides towards his sleeping son. He put Tetsuya down and didn't bother to greet Satsuki nor Shuzo (whom he bumped into on his way to the room). Right at that moment, all he cared about was Seijuuro. He didn't say anything and just sat there on a chair beside Satsuki, looking at him and brushing a hand on the poor boy's hair,

Meanwhile, Shuzo stared at the scene in front of him. _A perfect family… _the only thing in the world he had been wishing for, He had it once. But fate was just simply cruel.

_Ah, he still had it… but with missing pieces that he doubt he could ever fill in._

The only thing he can still feel within his grasp is that friendship his eyes can clearly define.

Shuzo had been the luckiest man living on earth for having Daiki and Satsuki for friends. There had never been any instances that those two turned their backs on him. Satsuki was sweet and caring; Daiki… well, Shuzo had all the support he could get from him; even _that thing _fell on his responsibility.

_'Please, I'm begging you. I can't do this alone. I… don't know what to do anymore. P-Please, Daiki.' _

All of it was still fresh in his thoughts. All the _begging, _the _tears, _the _curses_—they were humbly embraced by the couple without hesitations—andhis _pride, sorrow _and _happiness_… everything were taken from him and given back with a new start.

Shuzo bit back his upcoming tears. That was not the time to be showing any weaknesses. His friends needed him at the moment; he would do anything to—

"Thank you." Shuzo blinked a few times before the words fully registered in him. Daiki had left his post and was now standing beside him. The older of the two didn't bother to ask why or what for. When the other one stepped out of the room, he followed right on his trail without questions. He knew that, of course. They have been best friends for too long; simple gestures like that hold so many meanings that only the two of them could understand. Daiki wanted a word… or probably, he was just unsure of what to do or how to act. The guilt was just too much to bear.

"Did they win?" was what Daiki's first question to Shuzo. Their backs were resting on the wall outside near the door.

"Yes, they did." It was a quiet response; it held nothing of some positive aura you would expect from someone who had won a game. The respond was the same, quiet, "I see."

"Your son didn't."

There came a terrible silence, before he answered with an, "I know." It sounded so painful and stupid at the same time.

"You're an idiot, Daiki."

And another, "I know."

As much as Shuzo wanted to avoid the delicate topic, he still couldn't help but voice out the tiny bit of resentment he was feeling towards Daiki. "You know how much he was looking forward to it." For a while, he didn't care; his friend deserved this enlightenment after all. "You could have think of a way to see him even for just a little while. How much of an asshole are you for letting Seijuuro lose focus like that?"

Daiki knew himself better than anyone. If he would not take control of his emotions, he would surely end up breaking his friendship with anyone. He put his hands in his pockets and there released all the negative energy he had muster. "I know that. You know how much of an asshole I am. I couldn't even gather enough guts to stay beside my own son for a little bit longer. You can blame me all you want."

Shuzo heaved a sigh of whether relief or disappointment—either way, he didn't know which. "Don't worry. I won't. After all, I am a worse father than you are."

Upon the shift in their subject of conversation, Daiki gradually returned to his calm self. Along with the guilt he was feeling inside, he started feeling a pang of sorrow for his friend once again. "You know you don't have a choice."

"I can always have a choice, Daiki… and it was a selfish one."

When Shuzo finally let it out, another neutral silence fell between the two. When the right timing came out, Daiki sneered and leaned more towards the wall; his eyes were fixed on the image of his wife tending lovingly to their children.

"If you think of it that way, then perhaps we are really the same," were his last words before their meaningful conversation was officially put to an end.

Shuzo closed his eyes. A smile slowly formed on his lips. "Perhaps we are."

,

,

,

Some say that silence can be some sort of a therapy. But negatively speaking, it's not something people with unresolved issues should be doing. Having to keep the things that worries you is hard enough, much more if you ignore it. Shintaro knew how hard it was to deal with emotions that he always made it to the point of making cold excuses. Like exactly that one time Atsushi and Seijuuro surprised him on his 12th birthday last year; he was happy, to tell the truth, but he just couldn't go wild with happiness—no, not in front of his parents, sister and friends. But he did end up thanking them from the bottom of his heart, even smiling _a little_, just to show his two friends that he appreciated them from coming all the way to his home. Really, he was so glad; it was just that pride had always been his greatest enemy.

"Mido-chin, are you still going to eat that?" asked Atsushi who was sitting opposite of him. They had gone to eat somewhere, _courtesy of Atsushi after getting an approval from Shintaro_, before planning on going back to the hospital to check on Seijuuro.

Shintaro looked down at his plate. He noticed that he only touched ¼ of the food he had ordered. Surely, he must had been really tired or…

"Are you still worried about Aka-chin?"

"Don't talk when you're eating." And there he went again. There was no way he could fool his friend with his strictness.

"I'm sure he's fine. Aka-chin's strong."

Shintaro sighed. "That doesn't work that way. You're his friend, right? Aren't you worried for him?"

"I am. But I believe in Aka-chin."

_Oh, that sure hits the bull's eye. _Atsushi was right. In the name of their friendship, they have to believe in Seijuuro. _But_, wouldn't it be the same if they worry for his sake? It was his life they were talking about here.

"Yes, you're right. But, really, Atsushi… you need to finish that now."

There was a cry of protest. Although, in the end, Shintaro got to say the final word. When they arrived back at the hospital, they saw their coach together with Seijuuro's little brothers sitting on the row of chairs outside the room. Shuzo greeted them with a smile—a gesture which they took as some sort of a message, There was one thing they could think of: _Seijuuro was finally awake!_

"Sei's inside, having a little talk with his parents," Shuzo said in a whisper, afraid to wake up Ryouta who was sleeping soundly on his arms. "You can wait a little if you want to see him."

"We'll wait," answered Shintaro before sitting next to Tetsuya who was looking at him with a face a little less deadpan than before. "Hi. Looks like you're okay now."

Tetsuya smiled and nodded. "Yes, 'cause father's here and Sei-nii's okay now."

"That's good."

"Oh, Kuro-chin looks cuter when smiling," Atsushi commented, which resulted another smile from the kid. "If I look more carefully, Kuro-chin looks exactly like Aka-chin."

"Thank you, Atsushi-nii. And also, thank you for seeing my brother."

"No prob'm." He took a bite from his Mauibo and his gaze fell on the kid his coach was holding. "Just noticed it now. Ryo-chin doesn't resemble Kuro-chin and Aka-chin."

Shintaro followed Atsushi's gaze and Shuzo had to shift uncomfortably on his seat for that. He looked at his two players, plus Tetsuya, and a sinking feeling fell down in his stomach. "W-Well, there are cases that one sibling doesn't resemble the others."

"Or maybe Ryo-chin isn't their sibling at all."

Upon hearing what the purple-haired lad said, Tetsuya's smiling face twisted into an anxious one. "Ryouta-chan's my brother!"

"Y-Yes, of course, Tetsuya. He's just kidding," Shuzo explained.

"He is my brother." Tetsuya pouted. "But sometimes I wish he's not."

Shuzo, Shintaro and Atsushi exchanged confused glances for a while, until the oldest of the three opened another question for the little boy. "Why is that?"

Tetsuya hesitated a little, but then again he ended up answering him as truthfully as he could. "B-Because he cries a lot… and mommy and daddy always look sad… and then they forget about me."

For a moment, Shuzo regretted asking the boy such a question; but, of course, that did not fully consume the thing he regretted the most. "Is that so? Will you be happy if I take Ryouta-chan with me then?"

This time, Tetsuya's face curved into a horrified one. "N-No!" The three had to suppress their shock when the boy suddenly tried to grab his sleeping little brother off Shuzo. "No, you can't! Ryouta-chan is my brother! I won't give him to you!"

"K-Kuro-chin?"

"Tetsuya, I think you should… aah…"

"A-Alright, alright… I-I won't." Shuzo felt horrified as well. He never once saw the boy act like that before. "Tetsuya, please let go. You might wake—" and his attempt to calm Tetsuya ended up in vain when Ryouta woke up from the ruckus. Worse, Tetsuya ended up crying.

"Aaaah, Kuro-chin cried. Aka-chin will get mad."

"Oh no. This is why I don't like kids," Shintaro added.

Shuzo did a silent cursing and prayed to all the gods that the couple wouldn't hear anything from inside. In the end, they didn't try to stop the boy anymore. As for Ryouta's case, as much as he was confused at what was going on, he could only look at the two persons who were holding him.

"I-I'm sorry. I take it back. I won't give Ryouta-chan to anyone. Sei-nii loves him so much and so do mommy and daddy. They'll be sad and I'll probably cry too. I love Ryouta-chan, too, so please don't take him." Tetsuya couldn't let go of his little brother, so Shuzo had to say more of those sweet nothings he picked up from Satsuki whenever the kids would start throwing a tantrum.

"I won't, Tetsuya. I'm sure Ryouta will be sad, too… so, don't cry, okay? It's alright. I know you love him, too. And… I do, too… See? So I won't do things that will make anyone sad." And with that, Tetsuya let go, but he still couldn't stop his fountain of tears—that was when Ryouta said something that made him smile a little (_even those three did_).

"Yachii, 'you 'ungry?"

Tetsuya only shook his head.

"Why are you asking if he's hungry, Ryo-chin?"

"Ni-chii cries when 'ungry," he said, pertaining to _Nigou_—Tetsuya's puppy—which was interpreted as _Seijuuro_ by Shintaro and Atsushi.

"Oh. I didn't know that."

"Me neither."

Ryouta only offered them his brilliant smile and took out a candy from his pocket which he gave to his older brother. In return, the little blonde received a kiss from Tetsuya and Shuzo couldn't help but hug the two kids.

_It must be nice to have such loving children._

"Coach," Shintaro cut the man from his unapparent daydreaming. "You look like a doting father."

"How I wish I can be one, Midorima."

"You look more like a babysitter to me," Atsushi jeered.

With a laugh, Shuzo said, "I'm just doing my friends a favor, you brat." 

* * *

**I'm pretty sure I'll be on hiatus after this. Life sucks. **


End file.
